206. You Instead (Acoustic) by the Make (You Instead)
This song kicks off the movie called You Instead (or Tonight You're Mine, as it was renamed for the U.S.), and I loved it from the first moment, as noted in an earlier post. I finally tracked it down, I'm happy to say. The big finale in the film—also included on the soundtrack—is the same song done as if it were by Depeche Mode. It suffers by comparison.
207. (Making the Run to) Gladewater by Michelle Shocked (Short Sharp Shocked)
Hailing from east Texas and singing about life there and progressive causes with equal conviction, Michelle Shocked was a hero of mine in the late 80s, and Short Sharp Shocked is as listenable now as it was then. I can't forgive some of the things she has recently said, but I'm working on forgetting them.
208. Tell Me Something True by Tift Merritt (Another Country)
Not sure how my tenth (?) favorite Tift Merritt song ended up on here, but it works.
209. Really Saying Something by Bananarama with Fun Boy Three (The Very Best of Bananarama)
"Really Saying Something" may or may not have been Bananarama's first single, and yes, I know I could look it up, but I'm positive it was the first I'd heard of them. At the time, as indicated by Fun Boy Three's involvement, they were cool (hard as it may be to believe now). You can't quite tell if the deadpan performance—laid back to the point of Quaaludes—is meant to mock girl-group conventions or embrace them. Both, probably.
210. Some Kinda Love by the Velvet Underground (The Velvet Underground)
A bunch of verbal nonsense over an irrestistible guitar line; plus, at least one great couplet ("I don't know just what it's all about / But put on your red pajamas and find out").
211. Release It by the Time (Graffiti Bridge)
Graffiti Bridge was a terrible movie, and most of Prince's songs were subpar. The Time's contribution, however....
212. Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell) by Robin Thicke with T.I. & Pharrell (Blurred Lines)
A ripoff of Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" but who cares? It's the song of the summer, thanks almost entirely to Pharrell's production—I'll bet you money he knows "Release It"—a relentlessly catchy "hey hey hey" refrain, and Thicke's falsetto. Not to mention a video with lots of boobies.
213. A Heady Tale by the Fratellis (Here We Stand)
There isn't enough piano in contemporary rock music.
214. Trust Me by Voice of the Beehive (Let It Bee)
Not enough Bo Diddley–inspired drumming, either.
215. Girl by Prince (The Hits/The B-Sides)
The B-side to "America," an awful song from Around the World in a Day, is Prince at his crazy-sexy best. ("Caress the flower... Warm... Warm... Bring it to the garden..."). I remember the extended version goes way off the rails, but if I still have it, it's only on vinyl.
216. Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by Us3 (Hand on the Torch)
You don't hear this nearly as much as you should.
217. Autumn Perspective by Vanessa Daou (Zipless)
When I was working at Travel + Leisure, I sat next to Erica Jong at a dinner, and I couldn't help telling her how much I adored Zipless, which incorporates her poetry as the lyrics. The combination of the music, the words, and the singing struck me as impossibly cool. (I recall her response being about she had made a surprising amount from the royalties.)
218. Hopeless by Dionne Farris (Love Jones)
A 90s neo-soul classic.
219. Donna and Blitzen by Badly Drawn Boy (About a Boy)
Whatever happened to Badly Drawn Boy? "Donna and Blitzen" is a Christmas song, sort of, and badly titled for something so lovely.
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